Crysanthemum and lerengan motif in natural dyes from Ciwaringin, West Java (Source: aNERDgallery Collection)

 

Pasattimur Fajar Dewa has been working in Museum Batik Pekalongan since 2014. From someone who knew nothing about batik, Dewa is now advocating for preservation and education of batik through his role as a program and activity planner in the museum.

In this episode of aNERDspective (our NERD talk show where we converse with amazing friends about their textile adventure and perspectives), we talked to Dewa about his role in the museum anad some of the programs and exhibitions that he designed to promote Indonesian batik.

Note: This transcript has been edited for reading format.

Tony Sugiarta: Welcome, Mas Dewa, to another episode of aNERDspective. How are you doing in Pekalongan?

Pasattimur Fajar Dewa: Fine, thank you. How about you, Tony?

I am good. So, the last time we met was back in 2019. If we see Dewa’s Instagram, he is a photographer,a  musician, and a lot of creative (personas), but I knew him through our visit to Pekalongan and he is one of the staff in the Museum Batik Pekalongan. Today we will be talking more about his role in the museum and how is the museum surviving the pandemic, the program that he has, etc. So, welcome Mas Dewa again.

Probably we can start with a little introduction about yourself and how you landed up in Museum Batik Pekalongan?

Thank you Tony for this opportunity. My full name is Pasattimur Fajar Dewa, you can call me Fajar or Dewa. I have been working in this museum since 2014 as a guide and I have been a guide for 5 years. In 2019 until now, my job is as a program planner and Public Relations. My job here is to create some plans, programmes, and associate (ed.: interact) with the society, about how to improve the museum, how to conserve the batik culture here.

My educational background is in Literature and I also love other kinds of arts, like movies, music, visual arts, and photography. That helps me to get close to the batik culture. When I came to the museum for the first time, I really knew nothing about batik. I even wore printed batik. I still remember that the design was Parang Rusak but a printed one. My boss told me, “You use fake batik. We have original batik here, buy one or two and you must wear it when you work in this museum.” That is the first time I get close to batik and try to learn about batik.

Are you a native Pekalongan?

No, I am from Palembang, South Sumatra. My wife is a Pekalonganese and I moved here to follow my wife and get to work in this museum. I am a civil servant. I quit my job in Palembang and said that I am moving here (to Pekalongan), the government picked the museum as my (placement) here.

My first job is as a guide. I know nothing about batik and they asked me to be a guide here. There is a library here and as I was a literature student, I love reading. So I read books as my reference for batik and my biggest approach to batik culture is from art. I love photography and I like to go everywhere to take pictures, especially my first on batik. I went to batik artisans and batik workshops. I also like cultural photography, so I went to the workshops and I met so many people and (see) many processes in making batik.

I also love visual arts, like paintings, graphic designs. So, the easiest way to learn batik (for me) is when seeing batik for the first time, the first impression is on the visual. I know the composition, the colours, symbols, meaning, etc. That really helps me to learn batik.

Very good advice to someone who is just learning about batik. How long do you take to learn before you become a guide?

Until now I am still learning because there is so much knowledge to learn from batik. The first time, I focused on the knowledge, batik history, what kind of design, what kind of batik styles, how to use sarong and longcloth, the basics.

Then I moved on to learn about the society, how batik relates with other elements, like society, culture, and the tools,  how to use the tools, etc. I learnt about them in the first year.

Is there batik in Palembang?

Yes, I first know (about it) from the museum, because in Palembang it is mostly hand-woven. There is a Palembang batik here (ed.: in the museum collection). The designs are almost the same with songket and jlamprang. As I am from Palembang and one of my job is to create a concept and pick collections for exhibitions, I often choose the Batik Palembang. Because when I see it, I feel like home.

Move on to the museum a little bit, if you can share about the structure of the museum, and as you said, how do you curate pieces?

The name is Museum Batik, not Museum Batik Pekalongan, because at first the museum started in 2006 and it was not a national museum. The focus is in batik in Indonesia.

The museum was started by the community, it is the key here. We have batik communities from Jakarta and Pekalongan. They collaborated and created this museum. The museum operated under KADIN (Kamar Dagang dan Industri, Chamber of Commerce) and when the KADIN collapsed, the Pekalongan government took over the museum. So, now this museum is a governmental museum, but our focus is on National Batik, not only Pekalongan Batik.

We renew the structure of the organisation. In the past, we had nothing, such as a curator and conservator. But now, in the structure we have that, a curator, a conservator, a preparator, a register, and anything that is required in the museum. The problem is, we do not have the (relevant) person in charge.

We have about 20 staff here, but only 1 has an educational background as museology. I, myself, only (majored in) Literature, so I become a guide here. No one has a curatorial background. Once, we had a conservator here, in the archeological subjects from UGM (Gajah Mada University), but now she moved to another department and became a treasurer. That is one of the weaknesses when your operations is under government, there are steps for your career. Someone must move here and there to get the promotions. So, we lost that person.

So, it is not actually started by the government, it is actually an initiative of the community and then it was under the Chamber of Commerce, right?

Yes.

When was it?

It was around 2009, I think. But now, our movement is to gather back the community. Since the shifts (to the government), we have a problem, the communities leave us. Sometimes the society has a bad insight about the government, but now we try to gather them again because of the development of the museum now, the main thing (for the museum) is the community.

The museum was started by the community … now we try to gather them again because the main thing (for the the museum) is the community.

So, it is really community-based. As your role as a program planner, what are the programs that you organised?

So many activities here. I created some annual programs here, like batik competitions for several educational levels starting from kindergarten to high school, and also batik competitions for the public.

We also have vlog competition and a learning program called Learning with the Creative Community. We cooperate with the youth creative community to teach people about anything. In 2020, we taught people about batik painting, shibori, eco-print, doodle art, and photography. In 2020, the public interest is really at its peak, the participants can reach around 500 people. It was a pandemic era, but we can have that many participants.

All are on site, at the museum?

Some online and some in the museum, but we still do (have) a tight health protocol. For example, when we created a batik competition for students and the public, we had a new strategy. That is an annual activity. In the non-pandemic era, we held the activity in front of the museum. The students will make batik from an empty cloth until it becomes batik for one day, starting at 8am until 3pm.

But now, we asked them to create it at home. So, they came to the museum to do the registration and get the materials, they made batik at home and they had to document it in a video. At first, they have to create a full batik until the lorod process, but now (they are just) putting wax for the outline. This is for students and the public.

The shift from making full batik to the outline, we move the target (participants) here. In the public category, when you create a full batik, the participants are the owners of the batik workshops. But when you create only the outline, the participants are the makers (ed.: the batik artisans). There are many old women who register to make batik. We love that. What makes us happy is because in 2020, the winner of the public category is a senior high school student who already graduated and she had a skill in making batik. We love it because we have a new bibit (seed) in making batik.

So, the competition is not just for students and enthusiasts, but also the artisan, the batik makers themselves?

Yes. We have a category for kindergartens only for colouring batik. For elementary and senior high schools, they are like the public category who will make the outline.

I was thinking about the kindergarten (kids) doing waxing. *laughing*

I was wondering if Pekalongan is very advanced. Because I was told in some places that they can hold a canting as young as 4 years old.

At first, when we wanted to do the competition, we were very afraid because of the pandemic and the school would reject it. The school itself cannot do (extra-curricular) activities and we offer the activities. But in reality, they have a big interest in it because they are bored of the condition and they also do not know what subjects to teach online. So, when we came to them, they agreed and loved it.

I think one of the missions or the function of the museum is the facility and the continuation of batik education. Do you guys work with the batik university or the schools in terms of teaching it as a regular subject?

Yes, we cooperate with the educational institutions there, especially elementary schools. In Pekalongan we have mulok (muatan lokal, local crafts/culture) and the schools must teach batik especially for elementary students. They will do the practice in Museum Batik.

In one month, we serve around 3,000 students in the museum to practice batik. So, one day we have to serve around 100 students from three schools to create batik from 8 am until 12 pm. But in 2020, the program only started for a week and then the pandemic, we have to lockdown.

Besides that, we also have the Museum Goes to School. We go to schools and teach them about batik. We bring the materials and they can make batik in that program.

We also have cooperation with the university here, we call it magang (internship), to learn something in the museum. In 2018, we created one international seminar about batik, the theme is about a Decade of Indonesian Batik as the International Heritage. The speaker was Maria Wronska-Friend and we cooperated with UNIKA (Pekalongan University), where there is one of the important batik persons named Mr. Zahir Widadi). At the seminar, Maria talked about how Indonesian batik influences other countries. We see in (most) references that Indonesian batik is influenced by other countries, like India and China. But now, there is a shift and Indonesia batik influences the other countries.

Interesting. Was it a one-time event?

Yes, it was in 2019, one decade of Indonesian batik as international heritage.

The major event is annual. It is on National Batik Day, started in 2018, when we gather the community to do activities then. I still remember that in 2019 when the government was preparing for the Batik Day, but (it was) not really good and they planned to create batik weeks on around 20th October when the Batik Day is on 2nd October. So, we were afraid that on Batik Day, there would be no activities.

On the important day itself, there is nothing.

So, we started to gather the batik communities, businessmen, and creative youth movement and we prepared the celebration for only two weeks. We have a big plan and we go to the government and tell them about our plan. Then the government supported us. They love the idea that we must have a big celebration on 2nd October. At that time, we created the activities. We gathered around 1,000 people wearing batik sarong because the government has the movement to wear batik sarong. We do the flag ceremonies in front of the museum. Then we did gymnastics and soccer using batik sarong. We held a batik competition. We went to batik village with the mayor. That is the starting point. Then continue in 2019.

In 2019, we have the special guest, Sabine Bolk. “I think we can use you as a star”, (I told her.) So, we added one program, making batik with a foreign (guest). We also have student volunteers. We made batik at where we call the Zero Kilometer Monument that is symbolic. Sabine chose it because it is symbolic in the Dutch area.

It is just outside of the museum, right?

Yes.

And I believe you did not have that (annual event) last year. 

In 2020, we only have batik competition and develop learning with the community. We do not have any big projects with the community this year. Maybe until now we do not have plans for a big movement like that.

How is the visitorship affected by the pandemic?

Before the pandemic, we had more than 29,000 visitors here, but in 2020, we only have 8,000 visitors. It is hard and we are very confused about how to develop the museum now. We have to promote the museum but we forbid them to come here.

For the museum itself, we have tight protocols, regular protocols like you have to wash hands, we have the hand sanitizer, use mask, and thermal gun. We also limit the guests only to 30 persons here and we divide them into three groups, ten persons each and then we guide them in each room. We only have three rooms there, so we divide them into three small groups.

For the listeners who are not familiar, they have three exhibition rooms. Normally, it goes to the main room just after the reception, the overall Indonesian batik with all the tools and materials. Then you move to the second room which is Batik Indonesia from all over Indonesia. The last room is the thematic exhibitions.

Yes, the theme now is about Pekalongan.

Yes, we have not talked about the exhibit actually. Can you share more about that?

My job is also to create concepts about the exhibitions. We do the collection rotations every year on the 2nd October, on the National Batik Day. Every year, we change the collection and also the theme.

I did the concepts based on our weakness. We have so many batik here. The collection is about 1,200 pieces but we do not really have a legendary batik, just like Danar Hadi. Danar Hadi has a very good collection as a legendary name. We do not even have Oey Soe Tjoen. So, how to create a good exhibition is by story, by looking at our positions compared to the other museums. Also, we are looking at our collections here. We must do the story here.

The story is based on the current situation. For now we have the pandemic, so we created the pandemic theme. We create one of the batik icons with the corona and then there is a batik workshop in the center. The theme is about rising up (of) batik Indonesia. For the story, we shared the collections from several eras and we want to show that each era has problems. In the kingdom era, we had problems with batik, but there is a kind of good movement in batik which was held in that era. In the colonial era, you know the pressures from the Dutch and Japanese but there are new batik here in Pekalongan, Buketan, Pagi Sore, Jawa Hokokai. In 1998, the economy went down and there is a crisis here and people had strategies to overcome the problem. We create a story like that.

So that is the one currently ongoing?

Yes, until now. I still do not know what is next after the pandemic. We want to give an (uplifting) spirit for the batik maker. It is ok if they have so many problems. I often go to the batik makers talking about them in this pandemic era. There are so many sad stories, for example they cannot sell any more, but they have a strategy. In Pekalongan itself, there is one product that selling goes up, it is the night gown (called daster). There are so many people now selling the night gown/daster (ed.: because it is a casual homewear) and also sarong because there is a government movement now to use sarong, so there are so many demands for that.

But, the negative is the rise of printed batik. It is because of the ability of the people who buy it. Now they cannot buy expensive things, so they try to find the cheapest batik and they move to printed batik. I hate it.

Can I ask you about the recent case of the red flood in Pekalongan?

There are so many opinions about that. Some people protest that this is actually the printed batik colours, but some people say that we have to fix our systems and to do development. Actually some people said that it is batik printing, but some people said that is the batik colour. I don’t really know the truth.

How to create a good exhibition is by story, by looking at our positions compared to the other museums. We must do the story here.

So at this moment nobody knows what exactly.

Yes, but the biggest problem was not only the flood at that time but also the rob (ed.: it is a Javanese term for flood at the seaside caused by rising sea level and the sinking land area), the land absorption. Some areas in Pekalongan are sinking, one of which is Pasir Sari, one of the batik areas here. The impact is also on the fund. The government has to refocus the funds for the museum, to fix the rob and now the pandemic, they have to refocus again. So our fund is getting lower.

Coming back to the visitorship, there are no visitors and now funding is reduced. So, what is the next strategy for the museum? Probably on your program site, what are you working on? 

Starting in 2021, I have nothing to do *laughter* because I think we have to develop the museum and we have so many internal weaknesses here, especially for the attention from the government itself, from the Tourism Department.

We have to get a new strategy so they see the museum as one of the important places, not only a place but also a point for developing everything here because the big potential in Pekalongan is the batik itself.

The government is really busy with the pandemic, with the rob, with the burning market here. We lost one of the big markets, the name is Banjarsari. So money goes to (settle) that matter. It seems that people forget about the museum development. I really want to fix and create a new system, also for the internal. In the museum itself, because of the pandemic now, we have low spirits and no guests. We love to serve the guests everyday but now there are no visitors. I really want to get that spirit (up) again.

What are the different functions that you mentioned earlier in the museum?

Actually the functions of the museum is to guard, to conserve and to expose it to the society and give knowledge to the society. We still do that basic function of the museum. We have a museologist here. He does everything about that basic function. For example, every year we still do the preventive conservation, such as do the chemical treatment to the room of exhibitions, wash the batik, fix/repair when there is something broken in the collection, etc.

How many staff are there?

20 staff members. Only 4 people worked as civil servants, 2 people in administrations, 1 museologist who does basic functions, and me who does public programs.

And the rest are more supporting roles?

Yes, supporting roles.

What would be the priority that the museum needs?

The pandemic must be over. *laughter* The pandemic really makes us bored.

For this year, we do not have any big plans. We only have the annual activities, just like what I have told you, with some improvements. One of our ideas is to create contents about the museum, about everything here, held by the museum. But, I am not really a technology person, some staff are also like that. We have so many plans but have not worked until now. The leader of the museum also asked me to do that.

I guess creating content to manage or maintain awareness of the museum. Did you do anything online during the pandemic? 

Yes, just like batik competition, we do it online, but learning with community, we do it offline in the museum. We have about six subjects and each subject only 30 participants. For the batik competition is still being done online. This year, we want to spread the competition over some months. Last year, it was only in October. Everything was in October. So many people came in one time and it is not good. But now we want to do it in August, in September, just like each month we have activities.

You mentioned classes and modules, what classes are those?

The classes are about making batik printings, making shibori, tie dyes and eco prints. Maybe this year we want to make a comic, batik fashion design, but it is still my idea (in my head). I hope I can realize it.

I guess you need to do it offline. It is easier to do it offline. 

Yes, we do it offline, only 30 participants. We have a big room here so we can do social distancing there. Only 30%, so we can focus on the protocols.

Are you teaching comics or making comics?

No, we asked the community. I have so many friends. One of my friends can make comics. I asked why their community did not come to the museum and we can provide accommodation for that.

They come from outside Pekalongan?

Yes.

How is the local visitorship? I mean definitely the international not coming in.

In the early part of 2020, the locals are very few, but by the end of 2020 the visitors grow up. There are visitors from neighboring cities who come here by bus.

Probably out of the topic, outside of the museum, since you have been in Pekalongan for a while, people often ask me, what is there in Pekalongan other than the museum or batik workshop, what else are there? 

This is the main city, a very small city, but near Pekalongan, there are so many tourism objects and places of interest, the landscapes also are very good in Pekalongan Regency or Batang Regency. The hotel is in Pekalongan as Pekalongan is the main city for the surrounding area. Here, we have a beach but it is still under development. I hope it will be good because before it was not good.

Hopefully when we are able to travel over, there is something else.

And the food is very good here.

Yes, that’s true. Finally before we close off our conversation today, probably you mention a little bit of developing classes, what other projects that you are working on? 

Yes, actually I have a personal interest which I can do in relation to the museum. I want to create a space for photography, showing the people about Pekalongan culture. I also have an idea to create a book, not a hard book but it is just like a comic or easy book about batik to students. But it is still an idea (in my head). I have so many ideas, but I do not know (I have not executed it).

Yeah, it is just resources to execute right? 

Yes. We really need other help in improving the museum because we do not have so many staff with good potential here.

Definitely, I would be open to work something with the museum because I think it is a really important institution, especially in one of the heart of batik centre to have that representation to be an information source, education and leisure, in general, right in the city of where batik is (happening). So it is really pitiful if we have all the different collections, but we are unable to take care and showcase it. 

Final thoughts before we close up the conversation today?

My hope: God please stop the pandemic. That is one of the main keys to improve our life. We can be a new someone with the new gun with the new bullets to improve our lives ahead. And we also hope for a collaboration. We need so much help from you and many people to improve the museum because we know we have weaknesses here in the museum but we still have the spirit to improve ourselves.

And the support from the communities and the enthusiasts who love batik, surely. Thank you so much again, Mas Dewa, for sharing and for your time today. 

We hope you enjoyed this episode of aNERDspective. Check out the previous episode on IGTV and our gallery and store if you would like a piece of Indonesia for your home or wardrobe. You may also check out  Museum Batik Pekalongan’s Instagram for the latest events as well as Dewa’s personal photography IG.

Photo credit: Pasattimur Fajardewa, unless stated otherwise.